Dwight Howard wanted the Los Angeles Lakers' offense to slow down, throw the ball into the post and allow him to bump and bang his way to dominant performances. Under coach Mike D'Antoni, however, that was unlikely to happen.

As it stands, Howard is on his way to Houston to play for a Rockets team that established the fastest offensive pace in the NBA by playing a brand of basketball similar to D'Antoni's. The irony is not lost on the Lakers coach.

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"The thing that cracks me up is Houston, they do the exact same thing," D'Antoni told the LA Daily News. "And so (Howard) is gonna go to Houston? OK, so did they talk about change there? Don't tell me that it's that different."

As pointed out by ProBasketballTalk, Houston averaged 98.6 possessions per game, which outpaced teams like the Nuggets (97.8) and Warriors (96.8). Neither of those teams had a big man as the focal point of their offense, either.

So, how can Houston figure Howard into an offense that has been largely based on James Harden drives and quick swings of the ball for open 3-pointers? One thing comes to mind—putting Harden and Howard in pick-and-roll situations. D'Antoni has covered that already.

"Steve Nash and Dwight Howard on the pick and roll, and that's what I do?" D'Antoni said. "I just thought, 'Boy, that's gonna be a staple.' "

Howard was more interested in becoming a force on the block, and D'Antoni offered some explanation as to why the Lakers didn't feed him more.

"The only thing that cracks me up is (the question) 'Why didn't you go through him more?' " D'Antoni said. "Well, he was hurt. Why would we go through him if he's hurt? You have to (factor) that in. Why would we do that with Kobe and Nash and (Pau) Gasol on the floor? That doesn't make a lot of sense."

And, because D'Antoni's original vision didn't coincide with Howard's, there was tension within the Lakers organization, D'Antoni said.

"There was just a lot of conflict, emotionally," D'Antoni said. "People were not settled in their roles. But it's funny because a lot of times players will say 'I don't know my role.' It's not that you don't know it, you just don't accept it."

Howard definitely has work to do before he can bunker down in the post and become dominant on the block. He'll have Kevin McHale and Hakeem Olajuwon to help with that in Houston. Howard could become that force down the road, but he'll have to accept that for his now his skills are best utilized in a fast-paced offense.